5 Things To Know About The Laguna Woods Church Shooting

LAGUNA WOODS, CA — Questions remain a few days after a 68-year-old man was accused of traveling from his home in Las Vegas and opening fire at a church in Orange County Sunday, killing one man and injuring five others.

David Wenwei Chou appeared in court Tuesday and was charged with 10 counts, including capital murder, in the death of a man who charged the gunman in an attempt to stop him.

On Wednesday, investigators were still working to determine why the church in Laguna Woods was singled out.

“We all are praying,” said Leslie Wilson, a member of the Laguna Woods Christian Women’s Connection, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Praying for answers as well as for everyone’s safety.”

Here are five things to know about the shooting.

1. A Man Died Trying To Save Fellow Parishioners

Community members mourned the death of Dr. John Cheng this week. The 52-year-old physician of Laguna Niguel was visiting the Geneva Presbyterian Church with his mother on Sunday when a gunman began firing into the air around 1:25 p.m., the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.

Cheng charged the gunman, attempting to disarm and tackle him, but was shot to death, officials said.

Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said Cheng was "a hero in this incident" for rushing the gunman.

"Without the actions of Dr. Cheng, there is no doubt there would be additional victims in this crime," Barnes said.

2. A Pastor And Several Parishioners Stopped The Gunman

As the gunman paused to reload, a pastor, Billy Chang, hit him with a chair, officials said. Other members of the congregation descended on him, taking his weapons and binding his limbs, according to multiple reports.

The crowd managed to confiscate two handguns and hogtie the gunman with extension cords, the Orange County Register reported.

Chou is accused of planning a mass killing event, authorities said. They gave this account of the events.

The gunman arrived around 10 a.m. and attempted to assimilate with church members. In the afternoon, he began barricading the doors so those inside could not escape.

As churchgoers returned from lunch, they saw the gunman applying iron chains to the doors, according to a letter released Monday from the Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church.

Other church members watched him hammering two other doors shut with nails, according to the letter. Eventually he opened fire, authorities said.

The gunman wore a black shirt with a word written on it in white that some believed said “Security,” a church statement said.

When the gunman began locking the doors with chains, some parishioners who were leaving thought he was a guard. He allowed them to exit and was later seen nailing shut two other exit doors, the church said.

In addition to Cheng, the following five people were shot, according officials.

• A 66-year-old man.
• A 92-year-old man.
• An 82-year-old man.
• A 75-year-old man.
• An 86-year-old woman.

None of the victims' names were released. Two of the victims were upgraded to good condition, and two others were also expected to survive, authorities said Monday. The condition of the fifth one was not immediately available.

3. The Shooting Was Characterized As A Hate Crime

Barnes framed the deadly shooting as a "politically motivated hate incident" that specifically targeted the Taiwanese community amid tensions between China and Taiwan.

The FBI was also investigating the shooting as a hate crime.

Investigators discovered a note in Chou's vehicle in the church parking lot that appeared to express his hatred toward Taiwan, Sheriff Don Barnes said in a Monday news conference.

Tensions between China and Taiwan are at their highest levels in decades as China continues to claim the self-ruled Taiwan as its own. China's President Xi Jinping has said "reunification" with Taiwan "must be fulfilled," BBC News reported.

READ MORE: Taiwan's President Condemns Politically Motivated OC Shooting

This week, Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted, "Violence is never the answer." Her office also issued a statement condemning "any form of violence."

4. Chou's Heritage Was Questioned

Initially, the sheriff's department identified Chou as born and raised in China before emigrating to the U.S. But Chou was born and raised in Taiwan, not China, according to new information released by the Orange County Sheriff's Department Tuesday.

All the victims of the shooting were Taiwanese Americans. Chou was described as Chinese American by the Orange County Sheriff's Department in a news conference Monday.

"The information regarding his nationality was provided to [the department] during interviews with people familiar with the suspect, while communicating through interpreters," according to an update written by the department. "While later speaking with the suspect, he indicated he was born and raised in Taiwan."

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said it appeared Chou's family was forced to move from China to Taiwan and that Chou complained he was treated poorly as an outsider over the years. Investigators have multiple translators going over the note to interpret it correctly, Spitzer said.

Chou's place of birth "doesn't really matter to our investigation, actually, because our understanding is his family was from mainland China and at some point was forcibly removed and moved to Taiwan," sheriff's department spokesperson Kimberly Edds told Patch. "The other charges are so overwhelming that it's kind of immaterial."

5. Authorities Are Still Trying To Determine A Clear Motive

Investigators have determined that the shooting was carried out by one man and that it was an isolated incident. Although investigators guessed that it was a politically motivated incident, Spitzer said he wanted to see more evidence before making a decision on hate crime charges.

"While there's very strong evidence he was motivated by hate we want to make sure we put together all the evidence first," Spitzer said.

"This is a case I'm definitely looking at for death," Spitzer added, referring to the capital murder charge. "I'm not prejudging it, and I'm going to keep an open mind. ... It will be deliberative and won't be rushed."

Spitzer said Chou's wife is terminally ill and lives with one of their two sons in Taiwan. Another son lives elsewhere in the United States. It's possible Chou "didn't care what happened to him because she was terminally ill," he said. None of Chou's family members was identified.

Federal officials said Monday that Chou legally purchased his two weapons in Las Vegas, one in 2015 and the other in 2017.

Barnes said the magazines the gunman brought with him in one of two bags were legally obtained in Nevada.

In addition to the state charges, the FBI also opened a hate crime investigation, meaning Chou could potentially face federal counts.

The murder charge included a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, which opens Chou to a possible death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is convicted.

Despite the charges Chou faces, his roommate told The Associated Press that Chou seemed to be a kind and quiet person who shared his food and proclaimed himself a Christian.

Chou gave no warning that he might be planning such an attack, Jordin Davis of Las Vegas told the AP.

“At this point, and everything that’s happened, I’ve just started to wonder: ‘Did you, David, use your kindness and generosity to hide some very dark secrets?’” Davis asked.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.